Spark plug cleaner



Aug. l2, 1958 Filed May 28, 1956 G. PERsAK, JR., ET Al. 2,846,820

SPARK PLUG CLEANER Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToRs 2v/M5 @05AM/2 J'-.s' 39.055544 A11g- 12, 1958 G. PRsAK, JR., ETAL 2,846,820 I SPARK PLUG CLEANER Filed May 28, 1956 2 Shee'ss-Sheei'I 2 2,846,320 SPARKP'ILUG' CLEANER George7 Persak, .'Jr., Verona',A4 andJanies Russell, Pompton Plains, N. I., assgnors to The OiljakManufacturingpCo., Inc., Montclair, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicariMayfzs, 1956,seraient` 587,809

4 claims. (ci. 51.--8)4 abrasive body.

Objects of the present invention `are to avoidA this loss ineliciency and to eliminate the needfor'replacing therabrasive. This has been accomplished byfa built-in lfilteringactioneiecting automatic removalof the carbon and dirt as 'a part *of the scrubbing and cleansingaction, thus to keep the abrasive effectivelyl clean even* with long continued repeated use.

Other important objects of the invention areto' incorporatetheiautomatic filtering action into the machine in a. thoroughly practical, low-cost construction;

Other desirable objects attained bythe invention and the novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts, constituting'the invention, are set forth and will appear more fully in the followingspeciication,

The drawings accompanying andforming part of the specilication illustrate a present comercial embodiment of vthe invention. Structure, however,"may be modified and fchanged'as regards this illustration, all within 'the true intentand scope of the invention as hereinafter "deined andclaimed.

Figure 1l inthe drawings is a broken vertical"sec`tional view of the abrasive holding and circulating portion of one of the new spark plug cleaners.

Figure 2 is a broken sectional view of the main parts of the filter in separated relation.

Figure 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view through the lower lter chamber on substantially the plane of line 3 3 of Figure l, on a smaller scale.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the filter.

In Figure 1, the powdered or granular abrasive, such as garnet, is shown confined within an inverted can-like container 7 open at the bottom and having a top wall 8 provided with a central anged opening 9 for a rubber adapter 10 for holding a spark plug 11 centered over the abrasive nozzle.

The abrasive nozzle is shown as made up of a central air nozzle 12 and an outer blast nozzle 13 surrounding and spaced from the inner nozzle to provide an annular induction chamber 14 for abrasive picked up by the tube 15 extending downwardly from this chamber into the body of granular abrasive 16 in the bottom of the holder.

Compressed air is supplied to the central nozzle through connection 17 and air is furnished to a separate cleaning jet nozzle 18 by connection 19, the two air lines beingusually controlled by separately operable valves, not shown.

2,846,820 Y Patented Aug. 12,1958

The bottom of the abrasive holder in' vthejpresent irive'ntion is made up `of: ya :flexiblescreen 20 of Va mesh :to filter out the carbonfand dirtl removed 'from the'spaik plugs, whichis usually smaller in particle siz'e arid to hold back granules ofy abrasive. j Y n While different screen materials m'ay'be'used it' has been found that a woven vstrand mesh screen of polystyrene is satisfactory, providing desired flexibility, A1'e`- sistance to wear and ability to hold 'the granular abrasive while filtering out the more or less dust-likev contaminants.

Agitation is imparted to the' iilter screen in the normal operationl of the machine'l and" particularly vin turning the machine on and o, the sudder'ipre'ssure changes in the abrasive chamberv having the effect ofpsitivel'y Vibrating the screen atv such timesto shake-loose 'and drop foreign matter collected in the cleaningl operationI The'foreign matter shaken out offthe abrasiveis ali lowed to drop and collect ina vfunnel shaped hopper v21 supported in-spaced relation vbelow'`tl1"e"screer1 and en# closed by a breather. i V Y The latter is shown as made up of la'bag'22 of suitable mesh"fabric`and` a special'feature is that'this bag, yin the formfof a cylinder, is secured atrthe top by stitch; ing-or other fastening at v23'to the discy Ofscreenv 'mite-l rial'f20iand is. closed 'by drawstring 24""'r the likc'iov' thehopp'er shaped' bottom 21'so as to beheld vstretched betweenthe-abrasive"container 7 at thel'top and thecol` lec't'i'ng funnel 21 at the bottom. Y Figure'Z vshows how in combining' these parts 'the lleriblefscreenjisfpushed downbver theV edge of aring 25into seated engagement on a flange 26 and the lowe portion folded inwardly'over a1 lower ringVV 27, spaced from theupper ringbystruts 28.

Thellow'er'open end of the can "ster form holdi-'Tis of"a fsizeto liti'nside'the'upper ring 25 andin'sidethe dowiiturneprtionof the breather bag, Figure 2, and thsto hold'th iil'ter screenirmly'seatedon supporting flange l26,"as--i'n'Figule l.' y K l f Tois'ecure the bagfullystretchedl andthelowe'm lirmly'lengagd'over thelower ring 27, a looserin provided whichy will fit upin'sid'etheblwei'ringA inside the folded lower end of the bag,as in Fi The parts are' hldin the"a'ss`embled 'relation l Fi'g're 1 j with the breherl'bagfsecu're and'p perly strefchdfby hlici spr-i s0, 1=i'gus11"'ad" Lg hk'elfterm'inal's *Y 31,"V l`32 Ccauglit" 'tolbr'aclets" 33 o'n sides of the holder and into notches 34 in the lower edge of clamping ring 29.

This arrangement affords quick and easy assemblage and replacement of breather bags and screens if such becomes desirable.

The hopper bottom is shown provided with a cam released removable plug closure 35 enabling quick and easy removal of the screened out contaminating material collected in the hopper.

While vibration or motion normally present in the machine will be eiective to some extent to cause the flexible screen to ilter out carbon and dirt removed from the plugs, the screening action is made more positive by the turning on and off of the air pressure for scrubbing and for cleaning the plugs. Each time the air is turned on and oli in either of the nozzles, a pressure diiference is created between the interior of the abrasive holder and outside atmosphere, causing 'a quick flexing of the screen and shaking of the material supported by the screen, thus to loosen and drop collected material free from the abrasive granules.

In this manner the granular carbon is cleaned and kept clean by actual use of the machine. The cutting and scrubbing eiectiveness of the abrasive is thus kept substantially constant so there is no slow down in the continued operation of the machine. This practically eliminates need for replacement of abrasive although it may be desirable -romtime to time to add small amounts of fresh abrasive toreplace suchas may have been reduced in size or effectiveness by longcontinued use.

Thev machine constructed as disclosed consists of but relatively few, simple parts and can be manufactured at reasonable cost. The ltering action is positive and fully automatic. The location of the end of theabrasive suction pipe close to the screen creates a sweeping movement of material over the mesh, assuring lloosening and dropping of the material scrubbed from the spark plugs. The action starts as soon as the air is turned on. The lower end of the pipe being submerged in and to that extent closed by the vabrasive causes a sudden increase in pressure in the abrasive containing chamber, effecting a downward deection of the llexible screen and with ow of abrasive starting practically immediately the eect is reversed, withthe screen snapping upwardly toward or possibly into striking engagement with the lower end of the tube, shaking the material on the screen and causing drop-out of the collected ner waste material.

What is claimed is:

1. Spark plug cleaner comprising the combination of an abrasive containing chamber, an abrasive nozzle, an abrasive supply tube extending from within said chamber to said nozzle, said abrasive containing chamber being made up of a can having a lower open end and a exible ne mesh screen stretched across said open lower end, a breather bag attached to the edge of said screen, an upper supporting ring telescopically engaged over the lower end of said can with the upper end of the breather bag looped over the same, a hopper bottom for collecting screened material, struts connecting said hopper bottom to said upper supporting ring and supporting said hopper bottom in spaced relation below the screen, said hopper Ibottom having a dependent annular ange about the rim of the same and the lower end of the breather bag being folded inwardly and upwardly over said ange, a clamping ring telescopically engaged within said flange and clampingthe folded `lower end portion of the breather bag to the ilange and spring means yieldingly and detachably connecting said clamping ring to the body of the can.

2. Spark plug cleaner comprising the combination of an abrasive containing chamber having a horizontally disposed flexible abrasive supporting screen bottom wall of a mesh to hold granular abrasive and to screen out material collected from abrasive scoured spark plugs, an abrasive nozzle in said chamber having an abrasive conducting pipe extending downwardly close to said screen, a hopper bottom for collecting screened material and provided with a removable closure for enabling removal of collected material, a breather bag connecting said hopper bottom with the screen bottom of the chamber andreadily releasable means for removably securing said breather bag and hopper bottom to said abrasive containing chamber.

3. Spark plug cleaner comprising the combination of an abrasive containing canister, an abrasive nozzle, an abrasive supply tube extending vfrom within said canister to said nozzle, said canister having an open lower end, a supporting ring telescopically engageable over said open lower end of the canister and having an inwardly extending annular flange opposite the lower end of the canister, a breather bag having its upper end engaged over said supporting ring and clampedbetween said ring and the lower end of the canister, a flexible mesh screeen secured to said upper end of the breather bag and inter posed between said annular ange and the lower end of the canister, a hopper for collected 'screened material, means supporting said hopperv spaced below said vsupporting ring, said hopper having a dependent annular ange and the lower end of the breather bag being looped upwardly over said flange and readily releasable means for removably securing said hopper, breather bag and screen to said canister.

4. Spark plug cleaner comprising an abrasive containing chamber having a horizontal, flexible mesh screen wall, a dust collection chamber having a porous breather wall and positioned to accumulate dust released from the abrasive containing chamber through said flexible mesh screen wall, lan abrasive nozzle Within said abrasive containing chamber and an abrasive supply tube extending from a position close to said exible horizontal screen wall within said abrasive containing chamber to said abrasive nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,001,886 Rabezzana May 21, 

